Trump’s threats. Tariffs. Elon Musk’s antics. Ukraine. Gaza. The news cycle has been insane, so here’s an opportunity to catch your breath and reclaim a little sanity with the pleasures of New Music Friday. There’s some very strong stuff this week.

Singles

1. The Beaches, The Last Girls at the Party (AWAL)

The Beaches picked up a big win at the JUNOS last weekend after being named Group of the Year, so the timing for the release of this new single is perfect. They’ll be roadtesting this song (as well as a few others, I’m sure) from their upcoming third album as they make their way through headlining gigs and festivals like Coachella, Governer’s Ball, and Osheaga. The album will be called No Hard Feelings, which is due August 29. I guess they’re done blaming Brett.

2. The Hives, Enough is Enough (PIAS)

Sweden’s Hives, one of the leaders of the indie rock revival of about 25 years ago, are still making music in their sharp suits. The next album, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, will be released on August 29. And get this: It was co-produced by Mike D of The Beastie Boys and features contributions from Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Curious? You should be.

 

3. New Pornographers, Ballad of the Last Payphone (Merge)

The New Pornographers are on an analogue kick right now with a limited 7-inch single. Their object of curiosity is once ubiquitous but now obsolete payphone. And not just any payphone, but the last one in New York City which now lives at the Museum of the City of New York. Its last location was in Times Square. Kinda nostalgic, you know?

4. Sum 41, Radio Silence (Rise Records/BMG)

Back to the JUNOS for a second. Sum 41 appeared on the broadcast with what could very well be their last-ever performance as part of their induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. This, we are told, will be their final single and video, ending 30 years of their particular band of Canadian punk rock. They will be missed.

5. Wet Leg, Catch These Fists (Frontside)

At long last, we have a new Wet Leg single! The band’s self-titled debut album, released back in 2022, was one of the fresh-sounding releases that hauled us out of the pandemic and was sensational. Now it’s time for the Difficult Second Album. Will they do it with Moisturizer (due July 11)? If this single is any indication, the answer is a resounding “yes.”

Albums

1. Miki Berenyi Trio, Tripla (Bella Union)

Shoegaze fans will know Miki from her time with Lush, a dreamy and fuzzy band from the early 90s who toured with Lollapalooza in 1992. This is the debut from Miki’s new project–which, if you wanna be cool about it, can be referred to as “MB3.” There are aspects of Lush in their sound, but there’s also a new electronic element to things. Love it.

2. Craig Finn, Always Been (Tamarac/Thirty Tiger)

The frontman of The Hold Steady likes to keep busy when the band isn’t going anything. This is his sixth solo album. The War on Drugs, Kathleen Edwards, and Sam Fender all make guest appearances.

 

3. Mekons, Horror (Fire Records)

The Mekons, the British art collective that has been around since 1976(!!!) have just released their first album in five years, This could be their…26th(?) album, but they’ve released so much over the decades that I just can’t be sure.

4. Waterboys, Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper (Sun Records)

Finally, the welcome return of Mike Scott’s crew with their 16th album and first in three years, I can’t wait to hear about the fascination with Dennis Hopper. There are also contributions on the album from Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Fiona Apple. Sounds like it’s time for some Big Music again.

 

© 2025 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

When the news broke of Sinead O’Connor’s death on July 26, 2023, there were a couple of different reactions. One was “Who’s Sinead O’Connor?” That wasn’t terribly surprising. Her last hit album was released in 1990. A couple of generations have gone by since she was on the charts and may have never heard of any of her songs. The second reaction came from readers of tabloids and gossip columns, those who had at least peripherally heard about her struggles through middle age. The third reaction came from those who remembered not only what a talent she was, but that she was also a force of nature unlike almost anyone we had ever seen in music. That is why her death was front page news around the planet. Sinead O’Connor took a position—many positions, in fact—with her art and her public persona and never, ever backed down… she was always herself…she was a nonconformist. She would not be put in a box and refused to be silenced. Sinead spoke up on things few people would dare talk about, including her own personal struggles (of which there were many). She spoke up on women’s rights, children’s rights, organized religion, the struggles of gay, lesbian, and transgender people, aids patients, racial minorities, and the patriarchy of the recorded music business. Did you know that she donated her house in Hollywood to a family of refugees from Somalia? When she died, she left behind an intriguing body of work that includes solo material and collaborations. Two of those solo albums are all-time classics. But if you know Sinead O’Connor, you already know this and what you’re about to hear will bring back a flood of memories. But if you’re late to the party, you may still be asking yourself “What’s the big deal about Sinead O’Connor?” Here: let me show you. Songs heard on this show (all by Sinead O’Connor)

• • I Am Stretched on Your Grave
  • Heroine (with The Edge)
  • Troy
  • Nothing Compares 2 U
  • All Apologies
  • No Man’s Woman
  • Milestones

Here’s a playlist from Eric Wilhite. The Ongoing History Music can be heard on these stations. Don’t forget that there’s a podcast version, too, in case you miss any episodes. Get them for free wherever you get your podcasts.

• • 102.1 The Edge/Toronto – Sunday night at 7pm
  • Q107/Toronto – Sunday night at 9pm
  • Live 88-5/Ottawa – Saturdays at 9am and Sundays at 6pm.
  • 107.5 Dave-FM/Kitchener – Sunday nights at 11pm
  • FM96/London – Sunday nights at 8pm
  • Power 97/Winnipeg – Sunday nights at 10am and 10pm
  • 107-3 The Edge/Calgary – Sundays at 10am and 10pm
  • Sonic 102.9/Edmonton – Sunday at 8am and 8pm
  • The Zone/Victoria – Sunday at 8am and 9pm
  • The Fox/Vancouver – Sundays at 10anm and 10pm
  • Surge 105/Halifax – Sunday at 7pm
  • WAPS/WKTL The Summit/Arkon, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown – Mon-Fri at 9pm

Don’t forget about my other podcast, Uncharted: Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry. If you love true crime with your music, you’ll love this. Get Uncharted wherever you get your podcasts.

© 2025 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Many musicians engage in extreme behavior, including things that are dangerous and illegal. Why? Probably because artists can turn into thrill junkies. Neurologists believe dopamine—the body’s feel-good hormone—may have less impact on them. Okay, why? Hard to say.

Each of us has individual brain chemistries, meaning that we react to dopamine in different ways. Extreme people need extreme things to get the same dopamine hit as the average person. In other words, they may have a dopamine tolerance that’s built up over years of chasing that feeling on a daily basis. The longer they live, the harder they have to go to get a meaningful and transcendent dopamine high.

This may also extend to areas of their lives beyond music. Here’s where we get into things like becoming addicted to risky and dangerous behavior—anything to feel that feeling that most of us get a much lower levels of dopamine.

© 2025 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The very late/early 1990s were a volatile and prolific time in British indie music. Coming off the 80s rave and dance scene, the country was also spitting out Madchester, alt-dance, shoegaze, dreampop, and various forms of pre-Britpop. Among all that was grebo, a short-lived alt-rock/shoegaze cousin that had a lifespan of maybe 24 months. The key acts were Pop Will Eat Itself, Gaye Bikers on Acid, and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

Complex dance beats? Check. Fuzzy guitars? Bingo. Two bass players? Why not?

This was one of the singles from their 1991 album, God Fodder. Glorious stuff. Where’s me baggy shorts?

© 2025 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Everyone reacts to music at different levels and in different ways. You might be a laid-back kind of listener, someone who just sits back and takes it all in. Or you may be the kind of music fan that loses their mind over all music with singing and dancing and jumping about. Why the difference?

It’s largely neurological and chemical. The spectrum of musical reactions is related to how an individual creates and reacts to dopamine, the brain’s feel-good hormone. Dopamine can have wide-ranging effects depending on our own individual chemistries. It doesn’t mean that the quiet listener is less of a music fan than the spontaneous singer and dancer; it just means that the physical reactions are different. Dopamine is an interesting hormone.

© 2025 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Edmonton Police Service now says four men are believed to have been involved in the kidnapping and death of another man on the city’s northeast side earlier this year, and one of the suspects is believed to have fled overseas.

The victim, Sukhvir Singh, 32, was found dead by police in an industrial area near 17 Street and Yellowhead Trail on the evening of Friday, Feb. 28.

Singh was last seen alive in the evening hours of Wednesday, Feb. 26, in the commercial area on the southside near Gateway Boulevard, south of Whitemud Drive.

Officers determined the death to be suspicious so the Edmonton Police Service homicide section took over the investigation.

An autopsy was completed on March 5 and at the time, the medical examiner was still figuring out the official cause and manner of death but police said there was enough evidence for investigators to believe Singh was deliberately killed.

Now, police say Singh died from drowning and four people are accused of murder, up from three last month.

On March 10, Manpreet Brar, 29, was arrested. On March 13, Gursimran Singh, 21, was also arrested.

Both are charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in relation to Singh’s death.

Canada-wide warrants were issued for a third man, Lovepreet Sidhu, 27, for first-degree murder and kidnapping. Now, police believe Sidhu has since fled to India and are continuing to investigate.

Police are sharing his photo (below) and are asking members of the public with any info on his whereabouts to please come forward immediately.

On Tuesday, April 1, police also arrested and charged Jasmeet Singh, 22, with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Police said all four accused were known to the victim.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

 

© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

Calgary police now say a crash that happened around 11:49 Tuesday evening on Stoney Trail northwest, and resulted in the death of  57-year-old woman, appears to have been a hit and run.

In an update to media Wednesday afternoon, Sgt. Colin Foster of the Calgary police collision reconstruction unit said a man in his 20s has been arrested and investigators have recovered a vehicle they believe was involved.

“That said — we are still open to the fact this may not be the vehicle that was involved in the collision,” said Foster.  “We are still seeking the public’s assistance and trying to find a tractor trailer unit that will have some form of collision damage to the front and significant damage to trailer.”

Foster said the truck will be missing it’s “landing gear,” which is a piece of equipment normally located underneath the truck trailer and used to keep the semi-trailer level when it is unhooked from it’s tractor.

Following the collision, police could be seen examining a large object in the middle of the road that appeared to be the landing gear from the truck that was involved.

Calgary police have also provided more information about how the woman died.

Foster said it’s believed a white Toyota Corolla, driven by the victim, was travelling in one of the southbound lanes of Stoney Trail at Nose Hill Drive and close to the median, when it was struck by another vehicle — believed to be the semi-truck that failed to remain at the scene of the crash.

A short time later, a highway maintenance truck arrived to find the woman had been ejected from her vehicle that was spun out on the road.

As police and firefighters arrived on scene, another vehicle, a black 2018 RAM pickup, driven by a 21-year-old man with a 21-year-old passenger, struck a post and cable barrier in the median before running over the injured woman and then hitting the rear of the maintenance truck that had stopped to help.

The woman was eventually transported to hospital but pronounced deceased on arrival.

The two people in the pickup truck were not injured — and investigators say there is no indication that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the collision.

Foster said, so far no charges have been laid, but police are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who may have dashcam footage of the incident, to call the Calgary police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.crimestoppers.org or by downloading the Crime Stoppers app — P3 Tips — from your app store.

© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced the range of reciprocal tariffs he is imposing against nearly 200 global trading partners, saying the U.S. has been “looted” and “pillaged” by other nations and needs to respond.

The list of countries and territories, laid out across eight pages of documents, includes a baseline 10 per cent tariff on the countries but imposes higher duties on many other countries.

Canada is not impacted — yet — but does continue to face existing tariffs as well as previously threatened auto tariffs that kick in on Thursday.

The chart shows the U.S. will charge a 34 per cent tax on imports from China, 20 per cent on European Union products and 25 per cent on South Korea.

Here’s a list of all the countries and overseas territories listed by the White House as facing “reciprocal” tariffs by the U.S. and the amount they will be hit with in duties from highest to lowest:

• Lesotho – 50 per cent
• Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French overseas territory) – 50 per cent
• Cambodia – 49 per cent
• Laos – 48 per cent
• Madagascar – 47 per cent
• Vietnam – 46 per cent
• Sri Lanka – 44 per cent
• Myanmar (Burma) – 44 per cent
• Falkland Islands – 41 per cent
• Syria – 41 per cent
• Mauritius – 40 per cent
• Iraq – 39 per cent
• Guyana – 38 per cent
• Liechtenstein – 37 per cent
• Reunion (French overseas territory) – 37 per cent
• Bangladesh – 37 per cent
• Serbia – 37 per cent
• Botswana – 37 per cent
• Thailand – 36 per cent
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – 35 per cent
• China – 34 per cent
• North Macedonia – 33 per cent
• Taiwan – 32 per cent
• Indonesia – 32 per cent
• Angola – 32 per cent
• Fiji – 32 per cent
• Switzerland – 31 per cent
• Moldova – 31 per cent
• Libya – 31 per cent
• Algeria – 30 per cent
• Nauru – 30 per cent
• South Africa – 30 per cent
• Norfolk Island (Australian territory) – 29 per cent
• Pakistan – 29 per cent
• Tunisia – 28 per cent
• Kazakhstan – 27 per cent
• India – 26 per cent
• South Korea – 25 per cent
• Japan – 24 per cent
• Malaysia – 24 per cent
• Brunei – 24 per cent
• Vanuatu – 22 per cent
• Cote d’Ivoire – 21 per cent
• Namibia – 21 per cent
• Jordan – 20 per cent
• European Union – 20 per cent
• Nicaragua – 18 per cent
• Zimbabwe – 18 per  cent
• Israel – 17 per cent
• Zambia – 17 per cent
• Philippines – 17 per cent
• Malawi – 17 per cent
• Mozambique – 16 per cent
• Norway – 15 per cent
• Venezuela – 15 per cent
• Nigeria – 14 per cent
• Equatorial Guinea – 13 per cent
• Chad – 13 per cent
• Democratic Republic of the Congo – 11 per cent
• Cameroon – 11 per cent
• United Kingdom – 10 per cent
• Brazil – 10 per cent
• Singapore – 10 per cent
• Chile – 10 per cent
• Australia – 10 per cent
• Turkiye – 10 per cent
• Colombia – 10 per cent
• Peru – 10 per cent
• Costa Rica – 10 per cent
• Dominican Republic – 10 per cent
• United Arab Emirates – 10 per cent
• New Zealand – 10 per cent
• Argentina – 10 per cent
• Ecuador – 10 per cent
• Guatemala – 10 per cent
• Honduras – 10 per cent
• Egypt – 10 per cent
• Saudi Arabia – 10 per cent
• El Salvador – 10 per cent
• Trinidad and Tobago – 10 per cent
• Morocco – 10 per cent
• Oman – 10 per cent
• Uruguay – 10 per cent
• Bahamas – 10 per cent
• Ukraine – 10 per cent
• Bahrain – 10 per cent
• Qatar – 10 per cent
• Iceland – 10 per cent
• Kenya – 10 per cent
• Haiti – 10 per cent
• Bolivia – 10 per cent
• Panama – 10 per cent
• Ethiopia – 10 per cent
• Ghana – 10 per cent
• Jamaica – 10 per cent
• Paraguay – 10 per cent
• Lebanon – 10 per cent
• Tanzania – 10 per cent
• Georgia – 10 per cent
• Senegal – 10 per cent
• Azerbaijan – 10 per cent
• Uganda – 10 per cent
• Albania – 10 per cent
• Armenia – 10 per cent
• Nepal – 10 per cent
• Sint Maarten (semi-autonomous country of the Netherlands) – 10 per cent
• Gabon – 10 per cent
• Kuwait – 10 per cent
• Togo – 10 per cent
• Suriname – 10 per cent
• Belize – 10 per cent
• Papua New Guinea – 10 per cent
• Liberia – 10 per cent
• British Virgin Islands (British overseas territories) – 10 per cent
• Afghanistan – 10 per cent
• Benin – 10 per cent
• Barbados – 10 per cent
• Monaco – 10 per cent
• Uzbekistan – 10 per cent
• Republic of the Congo – 10 per cent
• Djibouti – 10 per cent
• French Polynesia (French overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Cayman Islands – 10 per cent
• Kosovo – 10 per cent
• Curacao – 10 per cent
• Rwanda – 10 per cent
• Sierra Leone – 10 per cent
• Mongolia – 10 per cent
• San Marino – 10 per cent
• Antigua and Barbuda – 10 per cent
• Bermuda – 10 per cent
• Eswatini (Swaziland) – 10 per cent
• Marshall Islands – 10 per cent
• Saint Kitts and Nevis – 10 per cent
• Turkmenistan – 10 per cent
• Grenada – 10 per cent
• Sudan – 10 per cent
• Turks and Caicos Islands – 10 per cent
• Aruba – 10 per cent
• Montenegro – 10 per cent
• Saint Helena (overseas British territory) – 10 per cent
• Kyrgyzstan – 10 per cent
• Yemen – 10 per cent
• Saint Vincent and the Grenadines – 10 per cent
• Niger – 10 per cent
• Saint Lucia – 10 per cent
• Iran – 10 per cent
• Samoa – 10 per cent
• Guinea – 10 per cent
• Timor-Leste – 10 per cent
• Montserrat (British overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Mali – 10 per cent
• Maldives – 10 per cent
• Tajikistan – 10 per cent
• Cabo Verde – 10 per cent
• Burundi – 10 per cent
• Guadeloupe – 10 per cent
• Bhutan – 10 per cent
• Martinique – 10 per cent
• Tonga – 10 per cent
• Mauritania – 10 per cent
• Dominica – 10 per cent
• Micronesia – 10 per cent
• Gambia – 10 per cent
• French Guiana (French overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Christmas Island (Australian territory) – 10 per cent
• Andorra – 10 per cent
• Central African Republic – 10 per cent
• Solomon Islands – 10 per cent
• Mayotte (French overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Anguilla (British overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australian territory) – 10 per cent
• Eritrea – 10 per cent
• Cook Islands – 10 per cent
• South Sudan – 10 per cent
• Comoros – 10 per cent
• Kiribati – 10 per cent
• Sao Tome and Principe – 10 per cent
• Gibraltar (British overseas territory) – 10 per cent
• Tuvalu – 10 per cent
• British Indian Ocean Territory – 10 per cent
• Tokelau (New Zealand territory) – 10 per cent
• Guinea-Bissau – 10 per cent
• Svalbard and Jan Mayen (Norwegian territory)- 10 per cent
• Heard Island and McDonald Islands (Australian territory) – 10 per cent

© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

The Ford government has delayed a plan to unveil its tariff response blueprint from Thursday morning as confusion reigns over how U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs will affect Ontario.

The province had organized a news conference to unveil its support plan at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning, with the ministers of finance, labour and trade all set to join the premier.

After a confusing Rose Garden news conference where President Trump confirmed 25 per cent auto tariffs on all countries but no additional levies for Canada, the premier’s team cancelled the plan.

“Where we stand right now is pretty unclear — I know as much as you know,” Ford told reporters immediately after at Queen’s Park.

He said the lack of additional tariffs for Canada was “positive news” but acknowledged events “change hour by hour, day by day.”

The reciprocal tariffs Trump promised were announced through a large board at a lengthy news conference which listed countries set to be hit with tariffs and how much they would be.

Neither Mexico nor Canada were named and, as a result, won’t see new tariffs immediately.

“I think that’s good news actually when we aren’t named on that list,” Ford said

The White House laid out on Wednesday that all goods that comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement will see zero tariffs, while goods that don’t will be tariffed at 25 per cent.

Energy and potash will be tariffed at 10 per cent. None of those tariff rules for Canada are new and were unveiled previously as a response to Trump’s view of Canada’s role in his country’s fentanyl crisis.

Canada, like the rest of the world, will pay a 25 per cent tariff on cars sold in the United States.

Ford said he hoped the auto tariffs weren’t “written in stone” with the levies set to kick in at midnight.

During the election, Ford promised tens of billions of dollars in relief if tariffs hit Ontario’s economy.

Pledges made by the Progressive Conservative team during February’s election included a $5 billion fund to support major industries and workers and a potential $10 billion pot to allow businesses to defer taxes for six months.

Another $3 billion was promised to help small businesses with payroll as well as $38 million to create “action centres” in areas hit with tariff-related layoffs.

Opposition parties have indicated they would support the government if it introduced tariff relief and support measures — and have asked the province to create a taskforce.

Ford’s team said Wednesday afternoon they were still working out what the tariffs meant — and wanted to communicate with other leaders before moving forward.

Around 10 a.m. Thursday, Ford will chair a meeting of Canada’s premiers where they will discuss the tariffs and their effects.

© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

TORONTO – Easton Lucas held the Nationals to one hit over five scoreless innings in his first major league start as the Toronto Blue defeated Washington 4-2 in interleague play Wednesday.

It was hardly baseball weather with snow falling outside Rogers Centre for the 3:07 p.m. local time start, dubbed “Work From Dome” by the Jays marketing department.

Lucas (1-0) struck out three and walked two in a composed 74-pitch outing before an announced crowd of 20,104 including Toronto FC star Lorenzo Insigne.

Filling in for the injured Max Scherzer, the six-foot-four left-hander was making his 15th appearance in the majors. The 28-year-old from California appeared in two games for the Jays last season with 12 others split between Oakland and Detroit.

Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore (0-1), who struck out a career-high 13 in six scoreless innings in the season opener against Philadelphia, gave up three runs on nine hits in six innings with five strikeouts.

Andres Gimenez singled home Anthony Santander for a 1-0 Jays lead in the first. Santander had doubled for his 700th career hit.

Toronto (5-2) added single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

C.J. Abrams hit a solo homer off Jays reliever Brendon Little to open the sixth inning. Little, Chad Green, Yimi Garcia and Jeff Hoffman, with his third save, then retired 11 of the next 12 batters before Washington added a run in the ninth.

Toronto earned its first series sweep of the season. The Jays managed five sweeps in total last year.

Key Moment

Toronto DH George Springer opened the fourth with his first homer of the season, depositing the ball 368 feet into the Jays bullpen for a 2-0 lead.

Key Stat

After hitting 12 singles and nothing else Tuesday, Toronto collected five extra base hits Wednesday (one homer and four doubles). The Jays outhit the Nationals 10-5.

Up Next

Toronto has an off day Thursday before hitting the road for 10 games in 10 days with series against the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. Kevin Gausman starts Friday. The Jays then return home for a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves before finally getting another rest day April 17.

Washington (1-5) returns home to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday.

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2025.

© 2025 The Canadian Press